I had heard about how good of a band 7 Seconds was about eight or nine years ago, and I decided to pick up one of their albums from the local CD store. That album, “Soulforce Revolution”, was one of the worst albums I’ve ever heard. However, I decided to give 7 Seconds a second chance, and let me say, I’m happy I threw this disc in my player. A mixture of hardcore and punk, these legends typically don’t take more than two minutes for a track, completely obliterating any chance that individuals will get bored of the tracks. The entirety of “Take It Back” is completely straight-forward, hard as fuck, thrash-hardcore-punk, totally moshing music – and those moments when they get into some form of pop-punk harmony (“This Is Temporary”), the harmony is placed alongside hard-hitting lyrical commentary and brutal instrumentation. “Take It Back” is the perfect example of an album in which every single facet from mastering to arrangement and instrumentation are perfect – there are all sorts of choices that 7 Seconds could have made in the production of this album, but being the veterans they are, sidestep with the greatest of ease.
Kev Seconds’ vocals are immediately recognizable even when 7 Seconds go out on a genre limb – the snotty “Still On It” is reminiscent of some of the earliest Descendents albums (which is no big surprise, as Bill Stevenson is head of mastering on this disc). Moving into a Vandals-state of mind for “Say My Thanks”, 7 Seconds continue a fury that cannot be reigned in, even after the disc’s 17 cuts. What is exciting about 7 Seconds is that every dog has eir day – this is not a band that will just arbitrarily throw in a guitar solo or start off a track with a bass line. Actually, the majority of songs on “Take It Back” have vocal duties from a majority, if not the entirety of the band. Couple that with a seamless creation of music and one will get an album and band that will never disappoint. 7 Seconds have maintained a level of relevancy and innovation that is unheard of in long-lasting bands. While acts like Blink 182 and more popular bands like Sum 41 have lost their relevancy fairly quickly, the fact that 7 Seconds can still be important after twenty-five years shows their ability as musicians.
Top Tracks: Panic Attack, My Band, Our Crew
Rating: 7.1/10
7 Seconds – Take It Back, Take It On, Take It Over! / 2004 SideOneDummy / 17 Tracks / http://www.7seconds.com / http://www.sideonedummy.com / Reviewed 06 February 2005